Ananke
by Capitano
Summary: POST QB. Tribute to Joyce brothers.


**This is just a short tribute to the Joyce brothers. I was a bit disappointing that, in the videogame, their reunion has been so quick and "formal". I mean, Jack though Will was dead for ¾ of the story and when he manage to save him, he didn't even hug him?! Not even an "I missed you"?!**

 **The title is a Greek word that means "necessity" and, in a larger view, "fate".**

 **English is not my native language, so I apologize for any mistake. Hope you like the story anyway.**

 **ANANKE**

William Joyce was wandering outside of the Monarch Tower, standing in the dark of the impotent building. He'd spent the whole morning parked there and he was damn tired of counting the tiles of the sidewalk while waiting for his brother to come out. He was tempted to go and check for his blondie sibling but Jack had firmly insisted to be alone. They had wanted Jack only. Will had argued, telling him not to give a shit, but Jack, for obscure reasons (at least for Will), had chosen to take a shot. He just asked Will to stick around, in case things would have gone bad and he would have needed reinforcements. You're never too prudent when it comes to Monarch.

It was half past 3 when Will saw the familiar figure emerging to the sunlight. Jack immediately spotted him and went to meet him but something in him told Will that he founded troubles.

"So? What did they want?" Will greeted him.

"Nothing special. Elucidations. Not even they got much about all this shit".

"Mmm" Will didn't buy it "Then why the funeral face?"

Jack grimaced, shrugging. "It's that… They offered me a job".

"And you make that face for that? If I were you, I wouldn't feel too bad for having sent them to fuck off. With all the hell they had caused, it will be a miracle if they manage to save a few heads."

"Well… not exactly."

"What do you mean?" Will started feeling an uncomfortable sense in his gut.

"They got through it. They have used Paul as a scapegoat and covered the rest of the filth with cash. Lots of cash."

"Sons of bitches." Will cursed. "Easy to put all the blame to the dead". Even if he never liked Paul at all, Will felt sick thinking how he had been used to save Monarch's ass. Paul maybe have been a mad bastard… but at least he was doing what he thought it was right.

Taking advantages of Will's temporally distraction, Jack shot the second bad news. "And, anyway… I accepted."

Will seemed on the point of having a heart attack… or killing someone. "You WHAT?"

"I can explain…"

"I can't believe you're still buying their shit! You've been shooting against each other until yesterday and now you are BBF? What the hell!"

"I don't trust them at all! But we need them! Especially their technology!"

"And I just remind you that's been exactly their technology that caused the Fracture in the first place! What make you think they won't mess things again?"

Jack sighed. He didn't feel like responding but he hoped that the look he was giving to his brother was eloquent enough to avoid him another embarrassing answer. It was. In fact, Will flamed up.

"No. You can't have asked that!"

"Will-"

"How could you! And without even consulting me!"

"Will, look!" Jack showed him his hands. They looked like translucent and with different patterns, as if they were made with crystal. The sight alone stopped Will's rant. He looked away, embarrassed and distressed, as if in front of a leper. "And it's spreading rapidly." Jack specified. "I don't want to become like Paul. A monster. I don't want to end up hurting the people I love. – Hearing that, Will became even smaller - I know that you can find a cure. That's why I told them that, if they want me, they have to put you as head of their R&D Sector. I trust you, brother. Please."

Reluctantly, Will lifted up his gaze and met his brother's eyes. Seeing determination and sincerity in them, Will understood that Jack was entrusting him with his life but, at the same time, he was asking him to return the trust and confide in his choices. In front of such responsibility, Will didn't have the heart to let Jack down.

' _Damn it, Jack.'_

Jack pressed on. "With their tools and your experience we will fix the Countermeasures, your career will be restore and I will be cured".

"It's not my career I'm concerned about..." Will muttered under his breath, avoiding again Jack's gaze.

"But I do!" replied Jack with emphasis "You've already sacrificed so much." Jack put a hand on Will's shoulder, staring at him and trying to make him see his affection. Will felt like being split in two: he didn't want to risk again his newly restored relationship with his brother but, on the other hand, he felt disgust and distrust towards Monarch. He was sure those bastards would try to play them, maybe even kill them, once they would have reached their goals… but Jack was right. They had money, power and means and to save his brother he had no choice but to make the best of a bad business.

"Ok" replied Will after a long sighed "we will work for them… but just until we found a cure for you. After that, we immediately break with them. Got it?"

"Absolutely." confirmed blondie, smiling and tightening affectionately Will's shoulder. The other sibling didn't seem much convinced but smiled back.

"Anyway… I go to pay for the car park. Car is down there. I'll join you in a moment."

As soon as his brother disappeared from his visual, Jack's smile fell. He was feeling like a shit. He didn't tell him everything. He kept for himself the bitterest bite: the agreement with the Monarch for a time travel... to save Beth. If Will had known it, he would have boycott the whole project. Jack loved his brother and he believed him even when he'd been keeping warning about the "biblical disasters" that would happen if they would have tried to fix the past. It was just… he COULDN'T renounce to Beth. It was stronger than him.

Jack started walking toward Will's car, restlessly repeating his plan in his mind.

' _I took every precautions. Martin will look after my brother, keeping him distracted while I'll be travelling in the past. Big bro will stay safe, in the present. Even if my mission would go wrong, I would be the only one to pay for it. Will will be safe. I go back to the day the Countermeasures were stolen and Beth killed. While my past self will be with Beth, I will handle Paul. Once Paul is out of the game, I go and "break a bit" the Countermeasures to cause my past self to return to his time. I will leave also Will's toy to the Monarch in order for them to build Project Lifeboat on it, so that the story will go as if it is supposed to go. Then I take Beth, bring her to the machine and return home. It should be easy. I studied every detail. What could go wrong?'_

However, the more Jack was repeating his speech, the more he tasted that familiar and uneasy feeling that something would have gone wrong, despite all his efforts and his attention. Jack had just founded again his brother, after years of silence and misunderstandings, and if Will would have learned Jack's true intentions, he would have felt betrayed and Jack would have lost him again, for good. His only hope was his plan to succeed. If he would have managed to bring back Beth without causing messes, Will couldn't do anything but acknowledge that past CAN be changed without destroying the universe or similar stuffs and he would have forgiven Jack.

' _I won't lose this battle.'_

 **Hope you liked it. Cheers.**


End file.
